Combined TIM-3 and PD-1 blockade restrains hepatocellular carcinoma development by facilitating CD4+ and CD8+ T cell-mediated antitumor immune responses

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3 (TIM-3) are beneficial to the resumption of anti-tumor immunity response and hold extreme potential as efficient therapies for certain malignancies. However, ICIs with a single target exhibit poor overall response rate in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients due to the complex pathological mechanisms of HCC.